The Long Dark Night by Cahira O’Donnell

One of the prophesized Seven Sisters of the Pleiades, her touch could heal or kill, but once touched, a man was forever obsessed. Talia Martin had lived a life of isolated loneliness by necessity. She was the government’s secret weapon, brought out, dusted off and, once again, put into service to save captured Navy Seals.

A man betrayed by love

Secret Service Special Agent Nickolas Pane didn’t know when he had been more devastated. Even the infidelity of his ex hadn’t shaken him like discovering his kid brother was MIA, captured by the Taliban in Iraq. Then – a mysterious proposal – an opportunity to rescue his brother and the other Seals on the special ops team. He would die to have her and kill to keep her.

She could find his brother, but had to touch Nickolas to do so. Undercover as man and wife, they traveled across the world, insatiable passion flaring between them. While Talia knew this was a mission from which she would not return, her death would free the man she had come to love. Nickolas, determined to bring her back or die trying, desired her more than life itself. He would never release her, or live without her.

#1
“I have to secure our quarters,” Nickolas informed her, taking her by the shoulders and setting her back from him.
“We’re alone,” she assured him.
Alone….Oh god… Swallowing hard, he forced himself away from her, pulled his Beretta from his shoulder holster and secured every room before returning. She was still standing in the living room where he had left her.
“Do you feel better now?” Talia asked with a small smile kicking off her pumps.
Better? Not hardly. How could a woman removing her shoes be so damn sexy? She walked up to him and started unbuttoning his shirt. When he clamped his big hand over hers to still her action, she looked up into his eyes questioningly.
“Are you going to be able to sleep with that ‘not-your-gun’ in your pants?” she asked, glancing down at his tented suit slacks.
“Probably not. No.” Even though he was in a serious hurt, he had to smile at her comment. His smile rapidly faded, however, when she resumed unbuttoning his shirt. “Talia, baby,” he implored, wrapping his hand around her busy little fingers, “I have zero control, I don’t want to run the risk of hurting you.”
“I’m not as fragile as I look. I promise I won’t break, Nickolas,” she whispered, looking deeply into his eyes.
“Ah shit, baby,” he groaned, sweeping her up and carrying her to the bedroom. He could no more stop himself now than he could stop breathing. He had to have her. She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and nuzzled against it, as his long, determined strides carried her to the bed. He had to make it to the bed, damn it, he was not going to take her on the floor – or against the wall, or…..

#2
When Talia woke, she found Nickolas showered and dressed in dark suit pants and a dress shirt. He was sitting in the chaise lounge, looking at her with flaming hot, ice-blue eyes. She realized she had never felt so safe or slept so well – hadn’t even woken up when he left the bed. She’d never imagined she would be able to sleep with another person present, much less in a man’s arms.
“Did I oversleep?” she asked drowsily.
“No, ma’am,” he responded, to which she raised an arched blonde eyebrow.
“Agent Pane, I presume?” she asked with a small, cool smile.
“For now,” he said, smiling tightly.
“Hmm.” She stood from the bed, naked, and stretched, then turned and sashayed toward her room, her luscious ass peeking from behind her long, tousled hair. He was on her in a minute. Grabbing her from behind and lifting her off her feet, he crushed her naked body against his chest and buried his face in her sleep-warmed neck.
“You’re playing with fire, woman,” he whispered into her hair, then bit down on the cords in her neck.
“Is it Nickolas now?” she asked breathlessly as he carried her back to the bed, laid her down on her back, and then rose over her, pinning her hands above her head.
“I’ll be whoever I have to be in order to keep that sweet ass of yours safe,” he growled down at her, searching her face. “Do you understand?” She could feel his erection pressing into her bare stomach from behind his wool suit pants.
He’d been in every sort of agony imaginable – waking up with her beautiful naked body wrapped around his. How the fuck was he going to protect her if he couldn’t keep his hands off of her? He’d gotten up, taken a cold shower and dressed, before torturing himself further watching her sleep in his bed.
Nickolas knew he'd never been so out of control. If he had a brain in his head, he would turn her over to another agent, but the thought of another man close enough to guard her drove him into a killing rage. Damn, but he was in a world of hurt here, and her life lay in the balance.

#3
“What am I to you, Talia?” he asked, straightening up and moving closer to her. He crowded her between the big master where her suitcase lay open and his big masterful body where his heart lay open and bleeding.
“That’s not the point,” she evaded.
“Oh, but it’s exactly the point. Yes, I know your track record, as you call it, and I also know I was your first lover. Where does that leave you?”
She dropped her gaze to the suitcase and continued folding the T-shirt. It was incredibly soft, clearly high quality. She could tell he’d put a lot of thought into all he'd purchased for her. Fighting tears, she simply shook her head, not wanting to let him see her heart was breaking.
“Look at me, Talia,” Nickolas demanded.
She shook her head, not looking up. She wouldn’t even meet his eyes. It broke him. He swept the suitcase from the bed with one powerful arm. It sailed across the room and crashed against the opposite wall, causing her to flinch.
“I won’t let you walk away from me, not now, not ever. Do you hear me?”
“And I won’t spend the rest of my life being your debilitating addiction. You deserve better than that.”
“You’re not my damned addiction,” he countered.
“Nickolas, think. All the signs are there, you’re jealous, possessive and controlling. You protect me like a dragon hording its treasure. Those are signs of addiction.”
“I’ll tell you what you are to me, woman, you’re my god damned wife, legal and binding,” he shouted, grabbing her by both wrists and pulling her to him.
“Wife?” She couldn’t have heard him right.
“Wife. We were declared common law.”
“Why?”
“So I could gain custody of you and keep you from spending the rest of your life vegging away in some damned institution. So I could take care of you, so I could bring you home where you, by fucking god, belong,” he raged.
“Why would you tie yourself to me like that? Dr. Wilkinson must have told you I probably wouldn’t ever recover. Did you feel like you owed me because of Daniel?”
“I can never repay you for what you did for Daniel.”
“We can get this fixed, we can get an annulment,” she pleaded.
“I tied you to me because that’s exactly where I want you. There will be no damned annulment!” he roared, lifting and all but throwing her on the bed. Covering her with his massive frame, he held both her hands over her head in one powerful fist, wrapped the other in her braid at the back of her neck to control her, and ravaged her mouth.
She whimpered and squirmed underneath him, driving him into a frenzy of lust. He would have her. He, by god, would make her his, the only way he knew how.
Releasing her braid, he ripped her gown from her body, spilling out her gorgeous breasts. Damn, he’d missed them. The sight of their perfection stole his breath. Cupping one pink tipped globe, he lowered his mouth to the other, suckling as if his life depended on it while she continued to struggle.
“Please,” she begged. If he kept this up, she would never be able to leave him.

Nickolas Pane played by Kevin Costner

Talia Martin played by Diane Kruger

Author Bio:
Having been brought up overseas and living with local families in many cultures, Cahira O’Donnell has a rich history to draw upon. Throughout her life and her travels she has been a dedicated student of shamanism and an explorer of the esoteric realms. Being psychic herself, Cahira’s real-life experiences with the supernatural infuses her paranormal romance writing with profound accuracy.
Armed with her history, combined with a degree in Psychology and a deep understanding of human nature, Cahira creates stories that are engaging, dynamic, realistic and boldly erotic.
Cahira now lives in the beautiful mountains of Colorado where she enjoys a quiet home, beautiful scenery and immersing herself in the art of storytelling.

Heather's Reviews on Pinterest

Heather's Latest Review Updates

What a wonderful post holiday treat! Saw a post about it on Facebook and immediately went to read it. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Jory and Sam and the entire cast of characters from Mary Calmes' Matter of Time Universe. I think I love ...

Just when you think Cliff's blinders to the possibilities of the existence of the paranormal were ruling his life, in walks Drew Drummond and suddenly everything is turned upside down. Watching Cliff's inner belief system on the paranor...

I loved the blend of holiday and paranormal that brought Hearts Alight to life. I don't know just when I loved such a cynical character such as Dave, his hatred of the commercialism of the holidays has begun to cloud his judgement. It ta...

What a lovely take on the legend of Krampus! I'm not going to say too much about Krampus Hates Christmas but I will say that it is a perfect blend of holiday, paranormal, romance, and just plain fun. I just could not put this down until ...

Walking on Thin Ice is so much more than just another bringing-home-a-stranger-as-a-pretend-significant-other, it's a tale that will warm your heart and if you aren't exactly feeling the holiday spirit, it will stir that too. It may be a...

What do I say about Snow in Montana that could even begin to come close to successfully express how much I loved the latest installment of the Montana series? It's RJ Scott! Okay, maybe I need to say more, lol. Snow might be Ryan and Jor...

Because Glass Tidings is a holiday story, we all pretty much know where it's going to end up but sometimes it isn't about the end but the journey. Which is exactly what Glass is about, the journey for both Gray and Eddie. Gray is a bit o...

4-1/2 Stars
I won't lie, I didn't quite feel Ibiza on Ice as much as Ugliest, but that's down to my initial feelings about Aston. When he broke it off with Dan based on the level of ugly of Dan's Christmas sweater, it says more about his...

4-1/2 stars
Once again, another new author for me and what a great introduction and I look forward to checking out more. Who doesn't love an ugly Christmas sweater? Okay, love might be a bit strong but they are certainly part of the fest...

If you are looking for something different from the happy, happy holiday reads then Nicolas is the one for you. A delicious blend of good, bad, sexy, torture, mystery, paranormal, and well just about everything in between. I first came a...